Although Nick Clegg announced on 3 September 2014 that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will maintain current funding until the end of the 2015 financial year, funding beyond this is unclear.

The ability of Kew to maintain its reputation as an institution at the forefront of botany has been called into question by GMB regional officer Paul Grafton, who said Kew "faced a significant threat to its future" as many of the 125 projected job losses would be in the science directorate.